State
Farm Bayou Classic
The yearly matchup between Louisiana
rivals Grambling and Southern in November
is much more than just a football
game -- it is an event that draws
thousands of college students and
other fans to New Orleans to hang
out, party and show their school spirit.

Over the last several years, this
black college football game has been
a compelling offensive juggernaut,
with both teams trading touchdowns
like demented stockbrokers unloading
bonds. However, this is a game in
which the records of the teams coming
in are pretty much irrelevant, as
the rivalry is so strong that crazy
upsets often happen.

The Bayou Classic has arguably the
best halftime show in football; both
schools feature outstanding bands
that march, strut and play in a ridiculously
funky fashion. Many folks consider
the halftime band matchup the highlight
of the game.

In addition to Saturday's game, a
Friday night Battle of the Bands is
the time for the bands to shine, and
the accompanying Greek show features
skits and singing from traditionally
black Greek organizations across Louisiana.

Also on Friday, a Super Job Fair at
the French Market Exhibition Hall
in the Hyatt Regency is what it claims
to be, a job fair filled with a variety
of employers seeking to connect with
the student bodies of Grambling and
Southern. Participants are encouraged
to bring several up-to-date resumes
and to be sure to dress for success.

Unquestionably the most colorful manifestation
in the annals of Black College Football,
the annual gridiron clash between
Louisiana rivals Southern and Grambling
State, affectionately known to the
world as the State Farm Bayou Classic,
has become one of the most anticipated
events in the nation.

This event is an
exhibition of the high standards of
academic achievement deeply embedded
in the traditions of the two institutions.
The State Farm Bayou Classic is more
than just a football game. It is a
unique family fellowship that exists
within a football game, which has
become in its colorful and glorified
history, the greatest, most distinguishable
sporting event in all of Black America.

The gridiron match-up
between Grambling State University
and Southern University, two great
Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)
rivals, represents the best that collegiate
sports have to offer: teamwork, tradition,
passion and fierce competition.

The first ever
Bayou Classic was played in New Orleans'
Tulane Stadium in 1974. There were
76,753 fans in attendance to witness
the birth of a unique and treasured
pastime. Grambling defeated SU in
that contest, 21-0. Southern leads
the series 18-17, and Southern University
posted an eight-game winning streak
that ended in 2001 (the longest in
the Bayou Classic Series).

With the game's
expansion over the years from Tulane
Stadium to the Louisiana Superdome
in New Orleans, LA, the State Farm
Bayou Classic, including over 200,000
fans who descend upon the city to
take part in the festivities, pumps
more than $30 million into the New
Orleans economy, annually. From the
excitement of a sensational football
competition, crowd favorite Battle
of the Bands, to the gospel brunch,
the event seeks to serve each and
every one of its patrons, while assisting
future graduates of higher education
in locating postgraduate work via
the State Farm Bayou Classic Super
Job Fair.

State Farm enters
its twelth year as title sponsor of
the Classic, which only serves to
reiterate the pleasure, pride and
continued growth of Black College
Football's most legendary event.

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